AMBULANCE staff say their service is `ill-equipped' to deal with changes put forward by Huddersfield health bosses.

Dozens of paramedics and emergency technicians who work for West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service (Wymas) have signed a statement condemning plans to shift services including maternity and paediatric care to Halifax.

The staff say emergency ambulance cover in the area is already inadequate and will be stretched even further under the planned changes.

The plans, if agreed, will see women suffering complications in labour - including those needing Caesareans - being transferred by ambulance from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary to the Calderdale Royal Hospital for care by consultants.

Babies needing special care will also have to be shifted, as will children requiring hospital stays longer than 48 hours.

Today, an ambulance service staff representative said lives would be at risk under the plans.

And he estimated the total journey time to the Halifax hospital could be as long as one hour.

He said: "The extra distances travelled with certain patients will be detrimental to their health.

"In maternity cases there is sometimes more than one life at risk and the ambulance service is ill-equipped to deal with problem births.

"It is not just road time. It also includes time for the ambulance crew to arrive at the hospital, walk up to the ward, transfer the patient to the ambulance, travel to the receiving hospital, then transfer the patient to the ward.

"This process could take anything up to an hour."

He said ambulance staff had never been consulted about the proposals.

He added: "With the proposed reduction in cover across the area, it would appear to staff that while they are transferring patients to Calderdale, other emergency cover in the area will be diminished."

He feared levels of cover in rural areas would be worst affected.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said they did not know about the source of the staff statement. But he added: "We are working with the Calderdale and Huddersfield health community to look at their proposals in detail and how these will affect the ambulance service.

"This will enable us to finalise with them the level of provision needed if their consultation proposals are accepted and to ensure our services are delivered safely."